Guess what the fastest shrinking job in NJ is

According to Fox Business, SmartAsset dove deep into data and complied a list of the fastest shrinking job in each state. A common one that popped up? Phone operators. I’m surprised we have any left! Whether it’s an actual human hired to answer calls at a front desk or the kind of phone operator that used to handle collect calls and other things for a phone company, technology seems to have moved us beyond.

So what’s the job going away the fastest in New Jersey?

Conveyor operators and tenders.

That job is down by 86% in a four year period. The data comes from the The Bureau Of Labor Statistics from 2015 to 2019.

I know your first question may be...what the heck is a conveyor operator and tender? Actually just what it sounds like. The job description given on owlguru.com is as follows:

“Conveyor Operators control or tend conveyors or conveyor systems that move materials or products to and from stockpiles, processing stations, departments, or vehicles. May control speed and routing of materials or products. They also observe packages moving along conveyors to identify packages, detect defective packaging, and perform quality control.”

So it’s no mystery why this job is dying out so fast. I assume it’s because of automation. What are the jobs drying up quickest in other states? Here’s the full list from Fox.

Alabama
Textile bleaching and dyeing machine operators and tenders: down 75 percent

Alaska
Oil and gas laborers: down 71 percent

Arizona
Dental laboratory technicians: down 61 percent

Arkansas
Middle school career/technical education teachers: down 67 percent

California
Music directors and composers: down 67 percent

Colorado
Telemarketers: down 71 percent

Connecticut
Demonstrators and product promoters: down 75 percent

Delaware
Physical therapist aides: down 59 percent

Washington, D.C.
Clerical library assistants: down 83 percent

Florida
Motorboat operators: down 76 percent

Georgia
Statistical assistants: down 89 percent

Hawaii
Directors and religious activities and education: down 65 percent

Idaho
Weighers, measurers, checkers and samplers for recordkeeping: down 74 percent

Illinois
Telephone operators: down 82 percent

Indiana
Music directors and composers: down 82 percent

Iowa
Hand packers and packagers: down 67 percent

Kansas
Music directors and composers: down 82 percent

Kentucky
Proofreaders and copy markers: down 75 percent

Louisiana
Operations research analysts: down 82 percent

Maine
Rehabilitation counselors: down 67 percent

Maryland
Gas plant operators: down 80 percent

Massachusetts
Middle school career/technical education teachers: down 64 percent

Michigan
Telephone operators: down 73 percent

Minnesota
Set and exhibit designers: down 70 percent

Mississippi
Word processors and typists: down 71 percent

Missouri
Telemarketers: down 67 percent

Montana
Secondary school career/technical education teachers: down 68 percent

Nebraska
Nuclear engineers: down 86 percent

Nevada
Production work helpers: down 58 percent

New Hampshire
Postsecondary atmospheric, earth, marine and space sciences teachers: down 62 percent

New Jersey
Conveyor operators and tenders: down 86 percent

New Mexico
Private detectives and investigators: down 79 percent

New York
Metal and plastic drilling and boring machine tool setters, operators and tenders: down 71 percent

North Carolina
Word processors and typists: down 76 percent

North Dakota
Procurement clerks: down 80 percent

Ohio
Machine feeders and offbearers: down 68 percent

Oklahoma
Production worker helpers: down 62 percent

Oregon
Boilermakers: down 91 percent

Pennsylvania
Painting, coating and decorating workers: down 74 percent

Rhode Island
Legislators: down 65 percent

South Carolina
Office machine operators (except computer): down 94 percent

South Dakota
Telemarketers: down 73 percent

Tennessee
Legislators: down 74 percent

Texas
Metal and plastic forging machine setters, operators and tenders: down 62 percent

Utah
Telephone operators: down 95 percent

Vermont
Dispensing opticians: down 57 percent

Virginia
Music directors and composers: down 56 percent

Washington
Ambulance drivers and attendants (except emergency medical technicians): down 95 percent

West Virginia
Eligibility interviewers for government programs: down 84 percent

Wisconsin
Music directors and composers: down 83 percent

Wyoming
Oil and gas rig operators: down 76 percent

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski. Any opinions expressed are Jeff Deminski's own.